Heather Van Arsdel, Owner/Creative Director
HIP HOP, JAZZ, CONTEMPORARY, LAKE CITY DANCERS
Heather quite literally, grew up in her mother's dance studio in Titusville, Florida, embracing every dance form, from ballet and jazz to tap and gymnastics. Before opening her Florida studio, Heather's mother, Jill Hopper, was a former professional dancer herself from NYC. Hopper trained at the renowned Joffrey Ballet School and was hired as a member of the Radio City Music Hall "Corps de Ballet", making many appearances onstage with the World Famous Rockettes over the course of several years.
After years of training under her mother, at the age of 15, Heather began making the hour-long commute to Orlando, Florida, where she trained at The School of Performing Arts and at the esteemed Southern Ballet Theatre.
BY 16, Heather landed her first professional job -- a dancer for Walt Disney World -- and spent her junior and senior years of high school commuting to the world’s "happiest place."
She performed in a variety of roles, such as Cinderella's Court Dancer in the famous Electric Light Parade, and as a dancer in the Christmas Spectacular, performed in front of the famed Cinderella’s Castle.
She also got the part of forest dancer in the film "The New Walden" being shot in Orlando, based on the life of Henry David Thoreau. Most of which was filmed in the woods and part of her costume was made of leaves and sticks!
At 17, Heather moved to Miami to attend New World School of the Arts College where she earned her Associates Degree in Arts in Dance. It was in Miami where Heather was truly exposed to a diverse form of the arts. At "New World" she studied music, choreography, Modern dance including the styles of Martha Graham and Limon. Also African, Jazz, Point and Contemporary. She was heavily involved in the school's Musical Theatre program and was showcased in West Side Story and Cabaret. From there Heather moved to New York City and was accepted into the American Academy of Dramatic Arts where she studied acting and singing.
While working full time and auditioning, Heather managed to land several gigs including back-up dancer for a recording artist, a dancer in a Bollywood movie shot on location in NYC but was released in India.
Heather also choreographed kid dancers on the set of a promo video for Jerry Seinfeld's "Bee Movie" - Shot on location in NYC.
The big city offered Heather the opportunity to discover the new level of culture. She attended countless Broadway shows and even got invited to an NBA basketball game. It was at the famed Madison Square Garden where she first saw the New York Knicks City Dancers, considered the premiere dance teams in all of professional sports.
She went to team’s the next audition, and out of the 500+ dancers who showed up that day, Heather landed one of the coveted 16 spots on the team.
In 1998 she began her dance career with New York Knicks City Dancers.
From 1998 to 2004, Heather was a Knicks City Dancer as well as a Liberty Torch Patrol dancer for the WNBA's New York Liberty basketball team, which consisted of fast paced dance routines with an emphasis on partnering and stunts. She was promoted to co-captain of the KCD after only her second year on the team. The Knicks City Dancers exposed Heather to all sorts environments, as the KCD are covered regularly in print and TV media. While on the team, Heather also spent a year participating as a KCD in a Knicks outreach program which taught hip hop at schools in Harlem and the Bronx. The Knicks City Dancers also have a standing hip hop class at Broadway Dance Center in New York City, where they teach eager novices "cutting edge" choreography. Former Knicks Dancers Amanda Grace, Jessica Castro and Liberty Patrol members, Eric Jenkins and Robert Taylor Jr., who was also featured on the hit TV show "So You Think You Can Dance", are also regular instructors.
The Knicks served as a vehicle for memorable experiences like: meeting the President of the United States, reading a Top Ten List on the David Letterman show, and playing herself as a dancer on an episode of "Sex and the City, which still airs today. She also had the honor of singing the National Anthem at Madison Square Garden before many Knicks and Liberty games.
Heather has also coached and choreographed the elite Knicks City Kids dance team since 2001, composed of 16 boys and girls ages 6 to 14. Their dance routines have garnered so much attention that they’ve been invited to perform at NBA All-Stars games, WB11 Morning show, MSNBC, Fox and Friends, the Today Show and many more. Most recently, Heather also had the privelege of being the sole choreographer on set during the filming of the premiere episode of NBC's hit show 30 ROCK for the 2012 season. Heather worked closely with Star Tina Fey, teaching her a full dance routine that was featured in the episode. The same year, Heather also dusted off and laced up her Knicks City Dancer shoes once again, as she was one of only 40 KCD alumni invited back to take to the hard wood floor to perform at Madison Square Garden for a special KCD 20th Anniversary NY Knicks game.
After a long professional performing career, Heather is excited to guide and pass along a life time of priceless experience to young Center Stage dancers.
Heather quite literally, grew up in her mother's dance studio in Titusville, Florida, embracing every dance form, from ballet and jazz to tap and gymnastics. Before opening her Florida studio, Heather's mother, Jill Hopper, was a former professional dancer herself from NYC. Hopper trained at the renowned Joffrey Ballet School and was hired as a member of the Radio City Music Hall "Corps de Ballet", making many appearances onstage with the World Famous Rockettes over the course of several years.
After years of training under her mother, at the age of 15, Heather began making the hour-long commute to Orlando, Florida, where she trained at The School of Performing Arts and at the esteemed Southern Ballet Theatre.
BY 16, Heather landed her first professional job -- a dancer for Walt Disney World -- and spent her junior and senior years of high school commuting to the world’s "happiest place."
She performed in a variety of roles, such as Cinderella's Court Dancer in the famous Electric Light Parade, and as a dancer in the Christmas Spectacular, performed in front of the famed Cinderella’s Castle.
She also got the part of forest dancer in the film "The New Walden" being shot in Orlando, based on the life of Henry David Thoreau. Most of which was filmed in the woods and part of her costume was made of leaves and sticks!
At 17, Heather moved to Miami to attend New World School of the Arts College where she earned her Associates Degree in Arts in Dance. It was in Miami where Heather was truly exposed to a diverse form of the arts. At "New World" she studied music, choreography, Modern dance including the styles of Martha Graham and Limon. Also African, Jazz, Point and Contemporary. She was heavily involved in the school's Musical Theatre program and was showcased in West Side Story and Cabaret. From there Heather moved to New York City and was accepted into the American Academy of Dramatic Arts where she studied acting and singing.
While working full time and auditioning, Heather managed to land several gigs including back-up dancer for a recording artist, a dancer in a Bollywood movie shot on location in NYC but was released in India.
Heather also choreographed kid dancers on the set of a promo video for Jerry Seinfeld's "Bee Movie" - Shot on location in NYC.
The big city offered Heather the opportunity to discover the new level of culture. She attended countless Broadway shows and even got invited to an NBA basketball game. It was at the famed Madison Square Garden where she first saw the New York Knicks City Dancers, considered the premiere dance teams in all of professional sports.
She went to team’s the next audition, and out of the 500+ dancers who showed up that day, Heather landed one of the coveted 16 spots on the team.
In 1998 she began her dance career with New York Knicks City Dancers.
From 1998 to 2004, Heather was a Knicks City Dancer as well as a Liberty Torch Patrol dancer for the WNBA's New York Liberty basketball team, which consisted of fast paced dance routines with an emphasis on partnering and stunts. She was promoted to co-captain of the KCD after only her second year on the team. The Knicks City Dancers exposed Heather to all sorts environments, as the KCD are covered regularly in print and TV media. While on the team, Heather also spent a year participating as a KCD in a Knicks outreach program which taught hip hop at schools in Harlem and the Bronx. The Knicks City Dancers also have a standing hip hop class at Broadway Dance Center in New York City, where they teach eager novices "cutting edge" choreography. Former Knicks Dancers Amanda Grace, Jessica Castro and Liberty Patrol members, Eric Jenkins and Robert Taylor Jr., who was also featured on the hit TV show "So You Think You Can Dance", are also regular instructors.
The Knicks served as a vehicle for memorable experiences like: meeting the President of the United States, reading a Top Ten List on the David Letterman show, and playing herself as a dancer on an episode of "Sex and the City, which still airs today. She also had the honor of singing the National Anthem at Madison Square Garden before many Knicks and Liberty games.
Heather has also coached and choreographed the elite Knicks City Kids dance team since 2001, composed of 16 boys and girls ages 6 to 14. Their dance routines have garnered so much attention that they’ve been invited to perform at NBA All-Stars games, WB11 Morning show, MSNBC, Fox and Friends, the Today Show and many more. Most recently, Heather also had the privelege of being the sole choreographer on set during the filming of the premiere episode of NBC's hit show 30 ROCK for the 2012 season. Heather worked closely with Star Tina Fey, teaching her a full dance routine that was featured in the episode. The same year, Heather also dusted off and laced up her Knicks City Dancer shoes once again, as she was one of only 40 KCD alumni invited back to take to the hard wood floor to perform at Madison Square Garden for a special KCD 20th Anniversary NY Knicks game.
After a long professional performing career, Heather is excited to guide and pass along a life time of priceless experience to young Center Stage dancers.
